State of the University 2015

Thank you to all who attended the State of the University or watched the live stream. It was a timely opportunity to report on some of the outcomes of the Trustees meeting and unveil elements of the comprehensive campaign. For the video and text of my remarks, visit the website http://www.scu.edu/president/publiccommentary/

Family Weekend, February 20-21

Last weekend we held another successful Family Weekend. It was made possible thanks to more than 50 staff and faculty across campus who organized the weekend, offered sessions and ensured a Santa Clara welcome for all. Nearly 800 families came and took advantage of the classroom talks, sporting events, and social gatherings with their students. Once again, our staff, faculty and student volunteers presented Santa Clara at its best with wonderful hospitality. Thank you to all played a part in the weekend’s success.

Board of Trustees Meeting, February 13, 2015

The Board of Trustees met for their winter meeting on February 13, and as I reported at the State of the University, the Board of Trustees approved the 2015-16 budget. I am pleased that the approved budget includes a merit pool increase of 3.5% for faculty and staff. This is the largest we have had in several years.

In addition to approving a budget, the board elected two new trustees, Tim Smith ’68 and SCU parent Libby Armintrout. Tim is a past recipient of the LA Santa Claran of the Year award and has served as a member of the Board of Regents, the Alumni National Board and the Bannan Institute Advisory Board. Libby is a member of several non-profit boards and co-founded the Washington Women’s Foundation, an organization that aims to increase philanthropy among women through collective giving circles. It is a great pleasure to welcome Libby and Tim to the board, and I look forward to their wise counsel.

The trustees heard two important reports, the first from our new Title IX coordinator, Belinda Guthrie. She explained her proactive approach to University policies and protocols related to Title IX and Affirmative Consent, along with her work with University groups to update our relevant policies. Our new Chief Information Officer Bob Owen followed and gave an update on information technology and security at the University.

My Cabinet members and I presented at length on components of the Santa Clara 2020 Plan and the Comprehensive Campaign. We explained campaign priorities and the fundraising progress made in the leadership phase of the campaign. The trustees responded positively to the great momentum and approved the recommendations and next steps put forward.

The chair of the Board of Regents, Kirk Syme, reported on the Regents recent meeting and their great interest in getting involved in Santa Clara 2020. The President of the Faculty Senate Council, James Lai, summarized the key activities of the Council this year: internal reforms of the Faculty Senate Council to make it a more reflective body and improve its communication; and information gathering to get a sense of the needs and concerns of the entire faculty. Finally, Anaisy Tolentino, ASG President, highlighted areas of student involvement, including events around pressing issues (e.g. “Black Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, Justice Matters” ), and a very successful Bronco Week.

You may recall that in recent years we started a tradition of hosting a lunch for the trustees and various University groups following the trustee meeting. For the winter meeting, I invited members of the six University Planning Committees to join our trustees for the meal. We had a great turnout and conversation that promoted open communication. I wish to thank the UPC members who attended the lunch and anticipate extending additional lunch invitations to other campus groups for future meetings.